Hi
I cannot understand the use of the question tag in the above sentence! Could you please tell me why the last part is added–I mean, “or are they”? Isn’t that included in “all are same really”? Is it for emphasis? If I wrote this sentence, it would be something like:
All are same, aren’t they?
Please shed some light on the last part?
Tom
Hi Tom
With out seeing the full version I think zhe writer is deliberately trying to get the reader to question himself as to the answer or the writer is expressing his own indecision. Either the certainty or “sureness” of the answer is being questioned in itself.
No, Tom, “all are same” is not correct. The full sentence would read: "They are all the same really, … Subject and verb have been omitted, as they are easily implied.
Been living too long in Germany, haven’t you? Or have you?
Hi Tom
You seem to have misread Alan’s original sentence which was “All the same” and not “All are same”.
As Conchita pointed out, the words Alan omitted were “They are”:
(They are) all the same really, aren’t they?
As regards the tag question, it might be best if Alan explains why he wrote what he wrote. As for me, I would understand his tag question (…, aren’t they?) as meaning “This is what I think is true and I think you’ll agree”. The follow-up question (Or are they?) indicates that, on second thought, he’s not completely sure that you’ll agree.
As Stew mentioned, the rest of the context would also be helpful.
Amy
Conchita
That was a slip of the finger that is ironically coincidental, look at your keyboard and you will see t and z together. Maybe been here too long though. I used or as a tag the other day.
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I’ve just started using an American keyboard (my German one is still at sea on a container ship) and the ‘z’ is no longer next to the ‘t’. I’m having a terrible time adjusting. :lol: I keep spelling my own name wrong.
Amz 
Context? [color=red]It’s here.
english-test.net/forum/searc … de=results
Tom
PS: Could I say “Here it is!” or “Here is it!”
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You’d say “Here it is”, Tom. Unfortunately I couldn’t utter that when I clicked your link. :lol:
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Incidentally, where you have a ‘z’ I have a ‘y’ and vice versa. Komisch, oder?
Amz zzz
It looks as if you had fallen asleep in the middle of writing your name, Zankee!
Hey
Just a trick cultural stumble block for you conchita. Komisch nicht ich bin mehr bewohnt jetzt
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And on my keyboard z and x stand together :lol:
That was another typo, wasn’t it, Stew?
Or what exactly are you inhabited by? :lol:
Amy
Yes, that’s how the ‘z’ and the ‘x’ are on my current (US) keyboard. On my German keyboard, the ‘y’ is where the ‘z’ is (and vice versa). :lol:
Fortunately, I don’t sign my posts with “Yankee” otherwise I’m sure I’d have already typed “Zankee” a number of times, too. :lol:
Night, all. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz